In many heating processes such as food preparation and cooking, the temperature of the item or material being heated is of critical importance in obtaining a suitable or desired result. In cooking, for example, the temperature of the food plays a role, often determinative, in the degree to which the food is cooked. The temperature itself may be indicative as to a degree to which the food is cooked. The degree to which the food is cooked is not only relevant to the taste of the food, as may be desired by the person consuming food, but also highly relevant to the safety of the food. To this end, for example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued guidelines establishing food temperatures at which it considers food, e.g., beef, poultry, pork, etc. to be adequately cooked to sufficiently destroy microbial or other biological contaminants in the food so as to be generally safe for consumption. In addition, the temperatures necessary to provide a desired degree of cooking or taste (e.g., rare, medium, well-done) are generally known.
For this purpose, food thermometers may be used to measure the temperature of the food. A drawback of standard food thermometers is that a person desiring to determine the temperature of the food is required to be physically present at the location the food is being cooked in order to view the temperature of the food displayed by the thermometer. This inconveniently prevents the user from attending to other activities and/or requires the user to return to the cooking location to monitor the progress of the cooking. If the user does not return in time, the food may be overcooked. Moreover, if a grill or oven is being employed to cook the food, opening the grill or oven is required to measure the temperature, which may result in temperature loss and/or inconsistent temperature cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,931,400, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, includes a first unit that may be placed at a location adjacent to a cooking area. A temperature probe attachable to the first unit measures the temperature of the item and transmits the temperature to a second unit located at a different location, e.g., remote from the item being cooked. The first unit may rest on a surface, such as counter, shelf or stove top.